So that means the Dallas-area judge, who garnered worldwide scorn for dismissing a death-row appeal because it was filed minutes late, is in danger of losing a seat on the CCA, where she's been for almost two decades?

Keller has had a string of high-profile controversies, but she's most well-known for the Michael Richard filed-too-late case, which opponents have been trying to use to get rid of her since 2007.

(Keller, by the way, comes from the family that gives Dallas its great eponymous beer, tater tots and burgers drive-thru, a place we discovered also pays close attention to the clock on important matters like ordering a hot dog, or killing a prisoner.

Keith Hampton is the opponent who topped Keller in the HBA poll (507 votes to 419, to be exact), but he has one crushing disadvantage in Texas: He has a "D" after his name.

But who are we to prevent Keller's fanatical opponents from taking solace for at least a day in the HBA's poll (which, the HBA emphasizes as always, is not an endorsement)?

Enjoy yourselves, folks. Then get used to six more years of Sharon Keller as the presiding judge of your highest criminal court.